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Mice and Marshes: Protecting the Bay I Love

I have loved salt marshes ever since I first stepped into one during a college wetlands class in Washington. I breathed in earthy scents. I felt mud squish beneath my boots. I watched birds fly low over the water. Now, the Bay wetlands nourish my spirit, and I am truly grateful they are the place I call home.

As the Habitat Restoration Director at Save The Bay, I am proud that my work leading volunteer and education programs can directly benefit nearby wildlife. Our efforts provide critical habitat for endangered species like the salt marsh harvest mouse. But we never lose sight of the big picture.

Restoration staff and volunteers working on the Oro Loma Project

Recently, we collaborated with other scientists on the Oro Loma Horizontal Levee Project – an innovative levee that mimics wetland habitats. Our expert restoration team joined more than 5,000Save The Bay volunteers to construct the site’s giant outdoor nursery and plant more than 70,000 native seedlings.

The potential benefits are profound, since wetland marshes act like sponges, soaking up water as it rises. If replicated, this horizontal levee model could provide extensive flood protection and create thousands of acres of habitat around San Francisco Bay.

Right now, our Bay faces a triple threat of pollution, sea-level rise and habitat loss. Scientists estimate it needs 100,000 acres of wetlands to be healthy and sustainable. Today, only 40,000 acres exist.

Donna Ball

Donna brings over 10 years experience as a salt marsh ecologist on the West Coast to Save The Bay, where she currently guides the Habitat Restoration Team in providing on-the-ground community-based habitat restoration programs utilizing over 5,000 volunteers annually. Previously, Donna worked at H. T. Harvey & Associates as a senior restoration ecologist working on a variety of large and small-scale tidal restoration projects throughout San Francisco Bay. She holds a M.S. in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, with a focus on Marine and Estuarine Ecosystems.